Demigod Ipseity
by B-boy Philosophy
Summary: Things change, and people change. Identities can even change. It's all a matter of what you have and what you lose. There is no good. There is no evil. There is only progress.
1. Prologue

[Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX, its characters, or any part of the original story line. No copyright-infringement intended.]

Demigod Ipseity

_... And there, lies the body of a former hero. He had once saved Gaia. He taught his comrades the true meaning of living, and he had taught them to live freely and happily. He led a kingdom as a strong-willed king, and as a friend to almost everybody. Now, his queen is about to fall by the same sword by which he fell. Some would call this tragic. It is, but it's real. Maybe someone will make a play out of it. It doesn't matter. I just killed my best friend. There is no good guy. In fact, we're all bad guys. We have our reasons and we have our stories. Things just happened to turn out this way, I guess. I have no regrets. I'll finish what was started. _


	2. Chapter 1

[Author's Note: this whole story will be in the first person perspective of Blank. The story will progress based on what he observes and figures out first-hand. Beware of some violence and explicit language, though it shouldn't get too bad. Enjoy! Oh, and please feel free to review.]

Chapter 1: No Cloud, Nor Squall Shall Hinder Us.

_Three weeks ago..._

"Blank! Darlin'!"

Ah, that serene voice. It never gets old, especially when I wake up to it. I'd never admit it, but I love it when she talks at me with that attitude of hers or nags me over little things. She never fails to start my day right. Her blue hair and even bluer eyes have always mesmerized me, and her weird accent makes her that much more lovable. It's been this way for years, and I'll stay in this not-so-promising theater business as long as she does. I must be crazy for thinking about this same thing every morning. Yeah, crazy is the right word. I'll stick with that. I finally sit up, and then I yawn...

_Smack._

...Only to be rewarded by slap on the head. I let my head fall forward, limp, and I slowly turn to look at her while my head stays low. I have one eye closed as an expression of my confusion and displeasure. She has her hands on her curvy hips, now, one leg bent. She raises her eyebrows at me. No words exchanged.I rub the spot on my head where she hit me.

"D'ya know what time it is?!"

I consider answering the question like the smart-ass that I am sometimes, despite the fact that it was rhetorical. I decide against it though, since I don't want to be slapped in the head again.

... Eh, what the hell.

"Time for you to get in bed with me?" I ask, hoping that she'd find the charm in that answer.

_Smack._

I guess she didn't. Or, maybe she did, and is just trying to cover that wonderful smile of hers. I glance at her again, and realize how right I am. We both smile.

"Get yer butt outta bed, darlin'," she says as she quickly turns away, "Zidane invited ya'll boys to lunch at the castle!"

"Oh yeah..." I recall, "... aren't you coming too?" There's no reason in my mind as to why she wouldn't be invited. It's Zidane, after all.

"The girls an' I are havin' our own lunch!" she exclaims. That's a good thing to hear. She hasn't had many girlfriends to go out with. I finally stand out of bed and head to one of the bathrooms of the newly refurbished steam-powered Theater Ship, courtesy of the Regent of Lindblum.

I turn on the faucet, lean over the sink, and splash my face with the refreshing water. I look up into the mirror to meet my purple eyes, and I run my fingers through my messy, wavy orangish hair that I've been growing out. It's been three years since I was just a statue in the Evil Forest. Here I am, alive and unfrozen. Growing. Breathing. But I never stopped thinking. Somehow, in that petrified state, a part of my mind was still existent. I saw things, I conversed, but to this day, I have no idea what to think of it. After Marcus cured me and resuscitated me, everything I experienced in that sleep became a blur, like a dream. What a haunting dream, it was. Every morning, I try to remember, whether I want to or not. It never works.

Returning to my room, I put on some fitted, faded brown pants and my brown boots. Next, I put on my brown and white hooded vest; its colors have no clear pattern--it is made of patches of leather and cloth sewn together by none other than my Ruby. The patch-like design almost resembles my skin, something I've never been able to explain about myself. But, I was never judged about my seemingly sewn-up skin. This is Gaia, after all, filled with humans and demi-humans alike. Nothing is really out of the ordinary.

Finally, I equip my belts and my gloves. One wide, but short brown belt covers my forehead--a signature style of mine. It rests well above my right eye, but it barely rests above my left eye, slightly parting my hair to the left. Another belt acts as a strap that fits around my torso diagonally, from my right shoulder to my left hip. It holds my swords, while the belt around my waist holds any daggers that I might be carrying.

"Blank! Hurry--"

Our lips meet as soon as she opens the door again to my room. She blushes. The redness on her face contrasts her hair and eyes so well, and it makes me smile.

"Hold yer' chocobos," I playfully mock. She lightly pushes, again trying not to smile, and walks away.

About ten minutes later, the Theater Ship arrives at the new airship dock near Alexandria Castle. Ruby, Marcus, Cinna, Baku and I exit the ship to be greeted by none other than whom we consider our brother, the king of Alexandria, Zidane Tribal, and his queen, Garnet Til Alexandros XVII. Despite his royal status, he still wears his casual clothing. I'm not surprised at all. Zidane couldn't be uptight or formal even if he wanted to. Garnet, on the other hand, seems to still have the fitting attitude--one can tell by her formal dresses. I suppose it's always going to be with her, considering she grew up as a princess. Zidane had definitely lightened her up, though, ever since the world needed saving.

"Hey," I greet the royal couple.

"Hey there," Zidane says, as he waves. Garnet simultaneously greets me with a "Hi Blank! Ruby! Marcus! Baku! And um..."

"Cinna. It's Cinna." Cinna has a disappointed smile on his face. He always seemed to be the least memorable. I always figured that, with a face like _his_, there was no way anybody could forget the ugliness. I've been proven wrong many times, and this is one of them.

"Thanks for invitin' us over!" Baku is the first to walk down to the couple and greet them physically. He gives Zidane a casual handshake, and then quickly reverts his attention to Garnet to give her an awkwardly long hug. We all watch uncomfortably, as she loosens her grip more and more and she develops an unsure and uncomfortable expression on her face

"Ahem," Marcus clears his throat. We all know it's a hint to Baku. Zidane has an embarrassed expression on his face, but lightly laughs.

After some more greeting and some small talk, we start heading towards the dining hall. Ruby, Garnet, and Beatrix leave the castle to have their own time, while we sit to be served some lunch. Steiner stands guard inside of the doorway, and we all stare at him for a second.

"Steiner... Hey... Steiner!" Zidane yells out, trying to break the armored captain out of his robotic state.

"Y--yes, your highness!" he responds nervously.

"What the hell are you doing? 'Your highness'? Do I seriously have to remind you everyday to call me Zidane? Three years and neither of us can get used to this..." Zidane remarks, planting his face into his palm.

"My apologies, Zidane!" Steiner replies. Zidane looks up for a second with a confused look, and plants his face back down. He shakes his head, and sits back in his seat.

"Just get your ass over here and eat with us. 'At ease,' and all that junk." Steiner looks around, slumps his shoulders, and trots his way over to an empty seat the table. As a group of small demi-humans approach to serve us our food, I initiate a conversation.

"So, Zidane, how's it goin' with all the little Vivi's?" Vivi had plenty of sons a few years back, after the whole adventure, and I had been wondering if they've been staying at the castle or not.

"We found some real nice families that were open to taking care of them. The black mages in general are pretty accepted, since most of them aren't hostile towards anyone. Garnet and I figured it'd be too much of a hassle to try to take care of all of them."

"That makes sense," Cinna inputed. Indeed, it did. There were a lot of those tiny black mages. Having to take care of that many kids while running the kingdom is a lot of stress.

I take a sip out of some exotic looking soup, and take a bite out of some kind of meat. I don't know what I'm consuming, but it doesn't matter, because it's all so delicious.

"Damn. You got it made, bro," I compliment. Zidane humbly shrugs his shoulders.

"Hey, speaking of Vivi... You never really told us what happened, Zidane. How'd he... you know?" Leave it to Marcus to bring up such a topic. But, I can't blame him. We're all "brothers," after all, and we're all wondering the same thing. I can tell Marcus was reluctant to ask, but Zidane should have already told us.

Zidane hesitates. Just as he's about to speak, a scream is heard.

"_Captain Steiner!"_ one of the Knights of Pluto calls out from behind the door.

"Intruders!" yells Steiner, standing up abruptly and knocking over his chair. He runs towards the door with thunderous clanks from his armor, and we follow.

There are four female Alexandrian soldiers and one Knight of Pluto on the ground of the main hall, unconscious or dead. I can't tell. The other knight that yelled earlier stands in a defensive position with his sword drawn, and his focus across the room. Above the bodies of the soldiers stands a figure. It turns its head toward us. He seems to see something in our direction that angers him, and he speaks.

"King of Alexandria... You..." he glares, and I take a second to look at Zidane, confused.

"You are unfit to be King!"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

"Heathen!" Steiner cries out, "Unfit? How dare you barge into the castle, attacking the soldiers and defaming the King?!"

The intruder is just a man. I can barely see his face because he wears a scraggly hood, but he seems fair-skinned. He seems to be middle-aged, and wears the clothes of a peasant. He lifts his head a bit higher, so I can see his eyes. Malicious intent burns in them. He's angry, but about what? I look around and observe that most of us are pretty unequipped. Marcus, Cinna, and Baku are completely weaponless, while Zidane and I only have our daggers. Steiner, of course, is fully equipped, and I watch him steadily draw out his sword, the Ragnarok. The weapon is exotic, with a red and gold blade that has a green edge all around. Its overall shape is rugged, assuring power and pain. Zidane and I make short eye contact, and we nod as we both slowly reach for our daggers. After he waves the standing Knight of Pluto to back away, Zidane turns his head back towards the intruder.

"Who the hell are you, and what do you want?" he interrogates. For some reason, I have a feeling that the intruder won't give a good answer.

"Ha...hahaha." Now, the intruder has an eerie, wicked smile on his face, but that quickly fades. His expression reverts.

"I want my people back," he simply says. I glance back at Zidane. He's obviously confused, as am I. The man continues, "but... you monkey-tailed murderers can't bring them back. So I might as well avenge them." The intruder lowers his head slightly, and mumbles something. Suddenly, he raises his hands toward us, and fire begins to appear in front of him.

"Black magic?" Marcus asks himself aloud, just before we all dive away to avoid the danger. Indeed, that was some kind of fire spell. How was a human using black magic? Before I could even begin to think of an answer, I hear the ironclad knight jump back up to his feet. I'm impressed that he could get up so quickly with all of that armor. I hop up to my feet too, along with the other guys.

"Stop now!" orders the infuriated Steiner, "You are under arrest! If you do not comply, I will be forced to use... force!" Embarrassment consumes us from Steiner stumbling upon his words in such a situation. The intruder pauses, laughing. He doesn't seem to be laughing at Steiner, though. It's more of a maniacal laugh. He begins to mumble something again, and raises his hands upward this time.

"I'm pretty sure he's not gonna stop," says Baku, quite calmly. He always kept his cool. I guess that's from whom I got that trait. Electricity surrounds the intruder's hands, and we all expect what's coming: a thunder spell. Marcus and Cinna cover themselves, while Baku simply watches. I see Zidane starting to rush towards the intruder. The intruder notices, and smiles. Lightning is unleashed and I flinch.

"_Thunder Slash!"_

Everything is quiet now, and I open my eyes. Zidane's dagger is in the heart of the intruder, and Steiner holds his sword high up as a bit of electricity spirals around it only to disappear. The intruder's arms then collapse by his side, and falls to his knees. His head tilts slightly, and his eyes land on me as his hood falls back. There is a horn high on his forehead.

"A... horn..." observes Cinna, astonished and confused.

"A summoner...?" questions Marcus, soon after.

The eyes of the intruder--who is now a victim--widen. He and I keep eye contact. He looks surprised and confused, completely shocked by the pain. The dying summoner attempts to speak softly.

"The sewn... The child..." he whispers, and falls completely. His body makes a loud thud after slipping off of the dagger. Zidane stands still, his blade covered in a summoner's blood, his mouth open in trauma. None of us can make any sense of what just happened. The only thing I can make immediate logic of was how Zidane reached the summoner unharmed. Steiner's Thunder Slash technique must have absorbed the lightning from the summoner, completely reverting and dissipating it, leaving the opening for Zidane to strike. Zidane probably knew from the beginning, too. The communication and connection between Zidane and the rest of the others who saved Gaia must be impeccable.

I bring my attention to Steiner, now. His sword is down with only his right hand holding onto it. He's awestruck, and I don't blame him. He just assisted in killing an unknown survivor of the summoner tribe, one of his queen's people. Zidane, on the other hand, killed the man himself. What will Garnet say? How will she feel? It's too much to handle, and it feels as if all of us have been silent forever. Even the Knight of Pluto, who stands near the wall behind us, is silent. Zidane notices that I'm looking at him, and realizes that he witnessed it all too.

"Hey... Um... Haagen, right?" says Zidane, snapping the knight out of his trance.

"Oh, yes, your highness!" Haagen answers.

"Gather any other knights and soldiers and help the ones that are hurt. Report back to me right away."

"Yes, your highness!" Haagen leaves immediately, as if he knows exactly where the other knights are. Zidane is looking down at nothing, now in deep thought. I'm still silent.

"We'll take care of the body," Baku volunteers abruptly. We all stare at him. Zidane shakes his head, "No, I can't let you guys get involved anymore."

"We're brothers," Cinna interrupts, "and this is some heavy drama on a king. Let us take care of the body."

"I don't know..."

"Sorry, your highness, did you have a better plan?" asks Baku sarcastically. Zidane has no answer, and it's obvious from his expression. Even Steiner seems to consider this option.

"Well?" Baku crosses his arms and taps his foot impatiently, expecting an easy answer.

"Just... give it a proper burial, will ya?" Zidane requests. All of us, besides Steiner, perform the Tantalus salutation as a way of saying "of course." I feel bad for this king, but I also wonder about why this all happened in the first place.

"Let's try to at least make some sense of this while we're at it. Give me a couple minutes, I'll join you guys in your airship. I'm coming with."

"But, Zidane..." Steiner attempts to stop his king, only to be given an order.

"Steiner, you handle your duty here. Watch the castle, and take the report from Haagen when he comes back so you can report that to me later. As for Garnet... Just tell her we'll be back soon. I'll tell her what happened." Steiner seems reluctant, but has no choice but to obey. We use a large potato sack from the kitchen in which to store the body, and we transport the body into the Theater Ship.

After departing the castle, we head to the east, towards the ocean. Baku inserts several bricks into the bag.

"... Wait, what the hell are you doing?" questions Zidane.

"'The hell does it look like I'm doin'? We're gonna dump the body in the ocean!" Baku replies, with laughter following.

"I said a proper burial!"

"It doesn't get anymore proper than this for a crazed man who tried to kill ya."

Standing at the deck, Baku drags the body closer to the edge. I don't exactly agree with Baku's way, either, but there's not much I can do at this point. I can tell that what he just claimed isn't his actual logic--he probably just realizes that this is the easiest way to deal with it. Zidane sighs.

"I should have never come along. Ignorance is bliss."

I sort of agree with Zidane's statement. It probably would have been better for him to not know that Baku was going to just toss the body into the ocean, but knowing Baku, Zidane shouldn't have thought much more of my boss in the first place. Marcus assists Baku in lifting the bag over the edge of the deck and letting the body roll off. After a couple seconds, I hear a splash. The deed is done. Baku brushes his hands together as a gesture of finishing.

"Well, now that _that's_ out of the way..."

"Wasn't it Kuja who destroyed Maiden Sari?" Marcus interrupts, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, but it was supposedly through the Invincible," answered Zidane.

None of us were there when it all happened, and the Princess had been somewhere in the sea at that point. Together, we know nothing that could even come close to a conclusion. I look over at Zidane, hoping he had a bit more to contribute. He looks worried and hesitant.

"... I know who we can ask."

We all continue to stare at him, confused now.

"Who?" I ask.

"Kuja."


End file.
